Reno Ready for First Road Set in 2026

RENO, Nev. – Fresh off the largest Opening Weekend in franchise history, the Reno Aces begin their first road trip of the season on Tuesday at Isotopes Park when they begin a six-game set with the Albuquerque Isotopes, Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

Opening weekend saw the Aces bat .247 (29-for-106) with 11 doubles and two home runs against the Tacoma Rainiers, and they totaled 18 runs over those first three contests. While the pitching staff compiled just a 6.33 (19 er, 27.0 ip) team ERA, Reno struck out 23 Rainiers batters (23.8 percent) and walked just nine (7.4 percent).

A pair of Aces ended the opening series batting .400 or better, the top of which was new arrival Luken Baker who was 5-for-12 (.417) with a pair of runs, two doubles, a home run and three RBI. Joining him was corner outfielder A.J. Vukovich, who closed his Opening Weekend 6-for-15 (.400) with three runs scored, three doubles, the first Reno home run of the season, and a pair of RBI.

A.J. Vukovich and Luken Baker hit the ground running during Opening Weekend 🏃‍♂️‍➡️ @milb | #Aceball pic.twitter.com/CUWj9XfVqe

— Reno Aces (@Aces) March 31, 2026

Despite the offensive success, the Aces watched the Rainiers comeback for victory in the season’s opening contest after Reno had held a 6-4 advantage as late as the seventh inning. Meanwhile, the Aces were able to escape an early three-run deficit in Sunday’s finale, but Tacoma rallied late for the rubber match victory. Sandwiched in between was an impressive 8-4 for win for the Aces, a day in which Vukovich tallied three hits including his homer.

Last season the Aces went 12-9 against Albuquerque, the third straight year they captured the season series (7-5 in 2024; 10-2 in 2023). Reno has not lost a season series to Albuquerque since the 2018 campaign when the Isotopes won 9 of 16 contests, and is a combined 47-31 (.603) since the start of the 2019 campaign.

Jack Hurley Doubles Twice, Lifts Aces to First Win of 2026

Full Story ⬇️ https://t.co/ioCIDOjfiL pic.twitter.com/K7awX74XDR

— Reno Aces (@Aces) March 29, 2026

Albuquerque also enters the series with a 1-2 record in 2026, having dropped the final two of a three-game set with Oklahoma City by finals of 13-6 and 13-4. That was a familiar feeling for the Isotopes, as the last time they allowed 13 runs in consecutive games was in their penultimate series in 2025 when they lost by finals of 16-3 and 13-8 on Sept. 13 and Sept. 14, respectively.

Those two losses came on the heels of an Opening Day win for Albuquerque, which dropped the Isotopes to 2-4 on Opening Day since the start of the shortened 2021 campaign.

As a team the Isotopes batted .270 (27-for-100) in their opening series, totaling 13 runs and just six extra-base hits (three doubles, one triple, two home runs). However, it was the pitching that struggled most as they logged a team ERA of 8.28 (23 er, 25.0 ip) and struck out 26 batters (20.6 percent), but they did issue 19 walks (15.1 percent).

A total of five Isotopes are clearing the .300 mark at the dish, including three that are batting .400 or better (minimum five at-bats). Charlie Condon, Colorado’s No. 2 overall prospect, has been off to a hot start as he’s hitting .500 (5-for-10) with three runs scored, two home runs, five RBI, and 11 total bases through three games. The hits, total bases, homers, and RBI all lead the team or are tied for the lead. Meanwhile, Condon logged a triple-slash line (OBP/SLG/OPS) of .643/1.100/1.743.

Condon is the fourth Isotopes player to have a multi-homer game within the first two contests of a season. He joins:

Justin Sellers - 4/8/11 vs. Omaha (second game)

Alex Castellanos - 4/5/13 vs. Iowa (second game)

Nolan Jones - 3/31/23 at Round Rock (season opener) https://t.co/EVr6ykKtO1

— Albuquerque Isotopes (@ABQTopes) March 29, 2026

Also above the .400 mark are Sterlin Thompson, Colorado’s No. 15 prospect, and Vimael Machín. Thompson matched Condon with five hits in 12 official at-bats (.417) and scored twice with a pair of doubles and an RBI. Most impressive was his slash line as thanks to a pair of walks he logged a .500 on-base percentage, while his OPS (on-base plus slugging) checked in at 1.083. Meanwhile, Machín was 2-for-5 in a pair of games with two runs scored but showed incredible discipline with a team-high four free passes.

From the mound it was Tanner Gordon who earned Albuquerque’s only victory, drawing the Opening Day start and tossing five full frames while allowing a single unearned run on three hits with five strikeouts to a pair of walks.

Overall, the Isotopes have seven of Colorado’s top-30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline, which also includes outfielder Cole Carrigg who batted .308 (4-for-13) with one run scored, a triple and a pair of RBI in his first Triple-A action.

Reno’s first six-game set of the season begins on Tuesday, March 31 at 5:35 p.m. PT.